Target One
by kiwifluffy
Summary: Other than the Renegades, the best fighters on Gallifrey were in the Celestial Intervention Agency. Kurremkarmerra is the best of the best- she's brave and resourceful, but most importantly, she's loyal to Gallifrey and its people. But is she really good enough to eliminate Target One?


The cold air in the ventilation shaft seems to seep into my bones, but I don't dare move my eye away from the grille in the floor. My next target is scarcely ten metres away. All I have to do is move the grille, drop less than three metres to the floor, run across to the maintenance shaft and sonic the lock. Simple.  
Except for the dalek patrols that pass every ten minutes, and the guards of their slaves scarcely a metre around the corner.  
I watch as the next group of slaves is led into the construction site and I slowly shift the metal slab away, wincing at the loud scrape as it moves. From what I've seen, I have exactly 30 seconds to cross the corridor and hide in the shaft before the dalek guard returns without its prisoners. The drop to the floor appears huge, now, but I don't hesitate to grab the edge of the ventilation shaft and swing towards the floor. My feet slam into the floor and I drop my sonic resonator. It falls to the floor with a loud clatter and rolls towards the dalek. I grab at it desperately, glancing around the corner, but no one seems to have noticed me. Yet.  
I aim the sonic at the lock as I run, counting down the seconds until the guard returns. Terrified sobs are coming from the room next door, and I realise that I must have been saved by one of the slaves failing to meet the work rate. No time to worry about them. Not if I want to succeed.  
The lock clicks open and I run into the shaft entrance, slamming the door behind me and reaching towards…

_Where's the ladder?_

How could I have been such an idiot? Did I really think that the daleks would send human slaves down here? What kind of dalek building ever had ladders in it, anyway?  
The shaft disappears below me, and the small blue light of my sonic fails to penetrate the darkness. I pull a rough shard of rock from the wall and drop it into the pit. I see it fall for a moment, then it's out of the light provided by my sonic and I start counting to see how long it takes it to hit the bottom. When it does, it makes no sound.  
I lean forwards, staring at the sides of the walls. They're smooth concrete, with no handholds except for a seemingly useless gap about ten metres down. There's something in the gap, a sheet of metal that looks like…

_You're kidding. Don't tell me daleks have health and safety regulations._

I aim my sonic at the gap and hope for the best.

_Oh, for Rassilon's sake. They do._

I can't help but grin as the metal sheet slides out. Holding the sonic tightly I step forwards and let myself drop.  
My feet slam into the sheet and pain shoots up my legs from the impact, but I keep moving. Press myself against the wall. Remove the metal plate I was standing on. Aim my sonic at the next one. Let myself drop another ten metres. Pull myself up, close and open the barriers, fall again.  
My feet burn constantly from the repetitive jolt as I hit the barricades. No choice but to keep going.  
My elbows bleed from rubbing against the wall. I let myself fall again.  
An endless cycle as I drop towards the centre of the planet. By the time I reach the bottom, I've lost count of how far I've come. There's no light here, hasn't been any since I entered the maintenance shaft except for the tip of my sonic resonator. My hands are stinging as I pull the small satchel off of my back and lower it to the floor.  
I'm at the centre of the planet, now. There would have been other ways to stop the dalek's plan, but this was the only one that could be completed by a single agent.  
_Why am I always the one to get the suicide missions?_  
At least I'm not dead yet.  
My fingers fumble on the tight knots on the bag, sweat gathering in the lines on my palms. Please, Rassilon, let this work. And let me get out alive.  
The cords come undone with a hard tug, and I stare at the small box that rests inside it. A small box with a _very large_ red button labelled 'PRESS THIS TO ACTIVATE.'  
At least somebody has a sense of humour.  
I place the box on the floor and remove the only other item from the bag before closing it and pulling it over my shoulder. Once I press the big red button, I will have one minute to activate the transmat device and return to my TARDIS. The sonic resonator goes in a small pocket in my jacket. I tighten my grip on the transmat and press the button. It immediately projects the number 60 onto the wall, changing to 59, then 58…

I twist the transmat device and feel the ground shift under me and suddenly I'm in the TARDIS. I open the door and stare for the last time at the reddish-brown surface of my most recent target.  
And then an explosion in the core rips it to pieces.

_This is Kurremkarmerra, to the coordinator of the CIA. Target One has been eliminated. I repeat, Target One has been eliminated. Skaro is no longer an issue. Reporting to Gallifrey awaiting further orders. This is Kurremkarmerra, Over and Out._


End file.
